Raleigh, NC – The Wake Forest mens’ basketball team defeated NC State 69-51 on Wednesday evening inside PNC Arena to clinch the program’s first 20-win season since 2009-10.
The Demon Deacons’ (20-5, 10-4 ACC) posted their seventh ACC victory of at least 15 points thanks to a 16-0 run over the final five minutes and 19 seconds of the contest. During that span, the Deacs held NC State to 0-of-5 shooting and forced four turnovers.
Wake Forest put together strong showings on both ends of the floor, as the team ended the night shooting 54 percent from the field (27-of-50) while holding NC State to just 32.2 percent from the field (19-of-59) and 13.6 percent from downtown (3-of-22), the Wolfpack’s worst mark of the season.
The Demon Deacons ended the final five minutes of the contest on a 16-0 run during which the defense held NC State to 0-of-5 shooting and forced four turnovers.
Alondes Williams led an offensive effort that saw four players finish in double figures, finishing with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go along with six assists and a team-high nine rebounds.
Williams found his groove after the halftime intermission, pouring in 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting and two triples.
Khadim Sy and Isaiah Mucius followed close behind with 13 points apiece on a combined 10-of-16 shooting from the field and 5-of-10 from beyond the arc. With four triples tonight, Mucius has moved into a three-way tie for the 24th-most single-season three-pointers in program history, at 55.
Daivien Williamson rounded out the group of double-digit scorers, with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting, five of which came during the team’s 16-0 run to close the contest.
Despite finishing with six points, Jake LaRavia impacted the game in a number of ways with a team-high eight assists, seven rebounds, and two steals.
How It Happened
● Wake Forest jumped out to an early 8-2 lead three minutes into the contest after an 8-0 run featuring a layup from Dallas Walton and a pair of made triples from Isaiah Mucius.
● Mucius drained his third three-pointer to take a 19-16 lead with 10:14 remaining in the first half.
● Walton connected on his first trey, extending the Deacs’ lead to seven (27–20) with just under six minutes left until halftime.
● Wake Forest entered the intermission with a 31-28 lead over NC State.
○ Walton and Mucius led the Deacs’ offensive effort with nine points apiece. The team shot 12-of-23 (52.2 percent) from the floor and held the Wolfpack to just 11-of-36 (30.6 percent) shooting.
● Alondes Williams knocked down his first shot from downtown, giving Wake Forest a 35-30 lead three minutes into the second half.
● Daivien Williamson rolled in a pair of layups to extend the Deacs’ lead to nine (41-32) with 14:19 left to play.
● Williams drilled his second triple to end a 9-2 NC State run and regain a 48-45 lead with 8:42 remaining in the final half.
● Mucius extended the lead to four (53-49) with his fourth triple with 5:34 left in regulation.
● Following a pair of makes from the stripe by NC State, the Demon Deacons went on an 16-0 run that saw their lead balloon from just two (53-51) to 18 (69-51) with 38 seconds left in the contest.
● Wake Forest defeated NC State, 69-51.
Key Moment
Despite never trailing in the second half, Wake Forest had not built a comfortable lead over the Wolfpack for most of the final period. After NC State narrowed the Deacs’ lead to two points (53-51) with 5:19 remaining, Daivien Williamson changed things by draining a triple and scoring a layup to open up a 16-0 run to close the game.
Five Demon Deacons scored during the run while the defense held the Wolfpack to 0-of-5 shooting and forced four turnovers on the other end to secure the team’s 20th victory of the season for the first time since 2010.
Stat of the Game
● With the win, Wake Forest is the first ACC team to reach 20 overall and 10 conference wins this season
○ This season marks the first time the Deacs have reached 20 wins since the 2009-10 season (20-11) and 10 conference wins since the 2008-09 season (11-5)
● The Demon Deacons’ (20-5, 10-4 ACC) posted their seventh ACC victory of at least 15 points thanks to a 16-0 run over the final five minutes and 19 seconds of the contest.
○ During that span, the Deacs held NC State to 0-of-5 shooting and forced four turnovers.
Coach’s Comments
“We had a very impressive 16-0 run to end the game, which is obviously what won the game for us. We did it by getting stops on the defensive end and making timely shots. We created a number of leads in both halves, but could not extend them to pull away and that is a credit to NC State and how difficult they are to defend off the dribble.
“During the 16-0 run, we finally locked in defensively on their ball screens. Dallas and Khadim did a great job of communicating, and Alondes did a great job of keeping them away from the basket. That defense allowed the opportunity for everyone to hit a big shot on the other end. Jake didn’t have a great night scoring the ball, but he still almost had a triple-double again thanks to how much he impacts the game in other areas. It was a really good road win for us. I’m proud of my team for getting to 20 wins and I’m happy for our fans, community and institution. Respect is a hard thing to gain back once you lose it, and we are starting to regain the respect that Wake Forest once had in this league.”- head coach Steve Forbes
Team Highlights
● With the win, Wake Forest has reached 20 overall wins for first time since the 2009-10 season (20-11) and 10 conference wins since the 2008-09 season (11-5). Additionally, the Demon Deacons became the first ACC team to reach 20 overall and 10 conference wins this season.
● The 69-51 win marks the Demon Deacons’ first win in PNC Arena since Jan. 21, 2017.
● The 18-point victory marked Wake Forest’s seventh ACC win of at least 15 points, the most in the ACC this season and the most 15+ point ACC wins by Wake Forest in the regular season, ever.
○ 80-61, at Virginia Tech
○ 76-54, Florida State
○ 80-64, at Georgia Tech
○ 98-76, North Carolina
○ 87-57, Boston College
○ 91-75, Pittsburgh
○ 69-51, at NC State
After holding Florida State to 32.8 percent shooting on Saturday, Wake Forest held NC State to 32.2 percent shooting on Wednesday.The Demon Deacons have now held nine of their 14 ACC opponents to below 40-percent shooting from the field.Additionally, the team held NC State to a season-low 13.6 percent from beyond the arc.
Up Next
Following Wednesday’s action, Wake Forest will return to Winston-Salem on Saturday, February 12 for their rematch with Miami.
Tipoff in Lawrence Joel Veterans’ Memorial Coliseum is set for 3 p.m. and the game will air live on Bally Sports South and other regional sports networks.